The partial federal-government shutdown, now the longest in U.S. history at 34 days, is prompting some rural, small-town and mid-size public transit systems to reduce services and consider furloughs or shuttering completely.
"The trauma for crucial transportation lifelines in rural or small-town America, including in states President Donald Trump won in 2016, underscores the damage the 34-day shutdown is inflicting hundreds or thousands of miles from Washington, D.C.," Tanya Snyder reports for Politico. "While the loss of federal dollars is hitting transit systems large and small, including those inside the Beltway, the most vulnerable agencies are those that don’t get significant state support. And their riders are primarily low-income seniors, people with disabilities and veterans."
Another bus-system administrator voiced fears that, if furloughed drivers start quitting, it could be difficult to hire more, since they'd need to pass a drug screening and an extensive background check and have a commercial license. Also, if routes close temporarily, bus riders might find another way to get where they need to go and won't keep riding the bus after it resumes service, Snyder reports.
"Transit agencies are accustomed to continuing resolutions and short lapses in federal funding," Snyder reports. The Federal Transit Administration "normally waits until it has four or five months of funding before it begins to distribute it to states and transit agencies. But agency heads worry that even if a deal were reached today, it could take months to process all the funding requests from all 50 states that have languished for a month."
"The trauma for crucial transportation lifelines in rural or small-town America, including in states President Donald Trump won in 2016, underscores the damage the 34-day shutdown is inflicting hundreds or thousands of miles from Washington, D.C.," Tanya Snyder reports for Politico. "While the loss of federal dollars is hitting transit systems large and small, including those inside the Beltway, the most vulnerable agencies are those that don’t get significant state support. And their riders are primarily low-income seniors, people with disabilities and veterans."
One operator told Snyder it might be easier to close down entirely until the shutdown ends, rather than closing some routes. Picking routes to close could provoke complaints under civil-rights laws or the Americans with Disabilities Act, he said. But even if a bus system closes for the duration of the shutdown, it must continue to pay some expenses, such as insurance premiums and utility bills.
Another bus-system administrator voiced fears that, if furloughed drivers start quitting, it could be difficult to hire more, since they'd need to pass a drug screening and an extensive background check and have a commercial license. Also, if routes close temporarily, bus riders might find another way to get where they need to go and won't keep riding the bus after it resumes service, Snyder reports.
"Transit agencies are accustomed to continuing resolutions and short lapses in federal funding," Snyder reports. The Federal Transit Administration "normally waits until it has four or five months of funding before it begins to distribute it to states and transit agencies. But agency heads worry that even if a deal were reached today, it could take months to process all the funding requests from all 50 states that have languished for a month."
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